THESE TOOLS HELP ME RUN MY BUSINESS EVERY SINGLE DAY AND I STAND BY EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.

Operations

WordPress – I am an absolute WordPress fan girl; there is just no way around it

Siteground – hosting, domain name, SSL certificates (they have THE best customer service around for those of us who are coding-impaired)

Elegant Themes – this is a gorgeous drag-and-drop builder, as well as site popups, social shares, and all that jazz

ActiveCampaign – email marketing and CRM (proficient to advanced level needed)

Interact Quiz Maker – a tool for creating online quizzes that generate leads, segment your audience, and drive traffic to your website.

Productivity

G Suite – because we need our documents, spreadsheets, and graphics on ALL of our devices

Hootsuite – scheduling posts to ALL social media platforms plus analytics into performance plus a social listening tool (yes, I use it for everything)

Planoly – specifically designed for Instagram scheduling as you can preview your posts in a grid. Plus, Stories scheduling and additional performance analytics

Iconosquare – the best tool for Instagram marketing, as it includes in-depth analytics and community insights, and influencer search

Image and video production

Canon EOS 6D 20.2 MP Kit – I absolutely adore this baby. Professional HD quality for your images and videos.

AmazonBasics 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Bag– very basic tripod, but what else do you need from a tripod?

CamKix Wireless Bluetooth Camera Shutter Remote Control for Smartphones – very useful thing if you don’t want to run back and forth between the camera and your place in front of it.

LST Selfie Ring Light for Phone – ideal for selfies, but also great for talking-head videos and livestreams, as it evens out the light on your face, and thus, creates a much more flattering look.

Blue Snowball iCE Microphone – very affordable mic that tremendously improves the sound quality of your videos.

Canva – only the best drag-and-drop graphics creator and it’s free (say whaaaat?)

Creative Market – amazing resource for affordable graphics, logos, brand elements, and so much more.

99Designs – if you truly want a unique design that is yours only, this is a perfect platform to choose between custom designs from professionals.

Learning / books

Lynda.com – I really like their courses now that LinkedIn owns the platform.

Udemy – awesome platform with literally thousands of courses on digital marketing and entrepreneurship.

Coursera – 2000+ courses from schools like Stanford and Yale. Yeah, you know it’s good.

Big Magic– balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us.

Essentialism – a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so we can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter.

You Are a Badass – in this refreshingly blunt how-to guide, Sincero, serves up 27 bite-sized chapters full of hilariously inspiring stories, life-changing insights and easy exercises.

The 4-Hour Workweek– whether your dream is escaping the rat race, experiencing high-end world travel, or earning a monthly five-figure income with zero management, this is the blueprint.

Originals – Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt.

Thrive – this book shows the profound and transformative effects of meditation, mindfulness, unplugging, and giving, Arianna shows us the way to a revolution in our culture, our thinking, our workplace, and our lives.

Lean In– combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can,  Sandberg provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career.

The Miracle Morning– what’s now being practiced by thousands of people around the world could perhaps be the simplest approach to creating the life you’ve always wanted.

AskGaryVee– Gary Vee offers surprising, often outrageous, and imminently useful and honest answers to everything you’ve ever wanted to know—and more—about navigating the new world.

The Art of Social Media – with over one hundred practical tips, tricks, and insights, Guy presents a bottom-up strategy to produce a focused, thorough, and compelling presence on the most popular social-media platforms.

The Lean Startup – rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs – in companies of all sizes – a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it’s too late.

The $100 Startup – here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment.

Growth Hacker Marketing – whether you work for a tiny start-up or a Fortune 500 giant, if you’re responsible for building awareness and buzz for a product or service, this is your road map.

*Please note, some of these links are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of them, I might receive a small commission. However, I only recommend products that I use and stand behind each one of them.